Hockey Canada has identified some of the challenges it faces in reaching its goal of having more than 170,000 girls and women playing hockey in Canada by 2030.
That's up from more than 100,000 women and girls registered by Hockey Canada this year to play in sanctioned hockey programs.
But a discussion paper released Tuesday cites a list of barriers, identified through research from Hockey Canada, its members and Canadian Women and Sport, that are negatively affecting the growth and potential of women's and girls' hockey in Canada.
They include education and training, policy and governance, structure and equity in resource allocation. "One day, we hope no girl is kept from participating in hockey because of gender-based barriers," says the discussion paper titled Building the Future of Women's and Girls' Hockey. "However, success depends on our ensuring the Canadian hockey system is prepared to continue to support this unprecedented growth.